Cowboys Finally Get a Break-Through Against Spartans [VIDEOS]

The Wyoming Cowboys won their first game in nearly a month with a 59-46 victory over San Jose State Wednesday night in Laramie.

This was UW’s first win in Mountain West Conference action this season.

Justin James scored 20 points and dished out five assists to lead the Cowboys. Hunter Thompson added 14 points, which included four 3-pointers in the second half.

Wyoming (5-14, 1-5) held the Spartans to just two points for over 11 minutes during the second half. During that span, the Pokes went on a 21-2 run and built a 45-30 lead. James scored 10 points in the run, while Thompson knocked down a pair of three’s.

UW shot 56 percent for the game. They made 9-of-24 shots beyond the arc, 37.5 percent. The Cowboys also capitalized with 20 points off 16 San Jose State turnovers. This is the fewest points allowed by Wyoming under head coach Allen Edwards and the fewest since the Mountain West Championship game in March 2015.

The Cowboys opened the game with an 11-0 run. They were ahead 20-8 with 8:42 left in the first half. The Spartans then went on a 16-4 run to end the half. Isaiah Nichols and Noah Baumann knocked down 3-pointers to begin the run. A Michael Steadman jumper in the paint gave San Jose State their first lead, at 24-22, with seven seconds left in the first half. James was fouled with 0.4 seconds left and made two-of-three foul shots for a 24-24 tie at halftime. The Spartans then scored the first four points of the second period and led 28-24.

San Jose State (3-15, 0-6) was led by Steadman with 10 points. Nichols added nine. The Spartans shot 33 percent for the game. They were just 5-21, 24 percent, from deep. San Jose State did out-rebound Wyoming, 33-25. That included 15 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points.

For Justin James, this was his 80th career game in double figures. He passed Charles Bradley (1978-81) for seventh place on the school’s all-time scoring list. James now has 1,745 points for his career.

This marked UW’s first victory since a 65-63 win over Dixie State on Dec. 29, 2018.

The Cowboys return to action Saturday at Boise State. The game starts at 2 p.m.